June 12 @30: Pro-Democracy Groups Seek Ministerial Slot, Urge Nigerians To Support Tinubu As Participant in Post-annulment Struggle
As part of activities to mark the 30th anniversary of the annulment of June 12, 1993 presidential election won by business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, the Coalition of the Pro-Democracy Groups organised a world press conference in Abuja, demanding a ministerial slot and urging Nigerians to support the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a core participant in the struggle to restore the mandate of Chief Abiola.
Those who spoke at the event include the National Coordinator of the Coalition, who is also the National Coordinator of the Coalition for A Better Nigeria, Comrade AWA Bamiji; the former Secretary General of NUPENG, Chief Frank Kokori; the former President of Ijaw Youth Council, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo Asari, and other prominent participants in the June 12 struggle, including Mr. Kayode Opeifa, human rights lawyer and President-General, Middle Belt Indigenous Peoples Network and Osun State based politician, Princess Shadia Folashade Aremu. 
In his opening address, Comrade Bamiji thanked former President Muhammadu Buhari, “for recognising June 12 as Nigeria’s Democracy Day, naming National Stadium, Abuja, after late President MKO Abiola, of blessed memory, since 2018, and honouring him posthumously with GCFR but today, June 12, 2023, celebrating June 12 @ 30, we have reason to thank Almighty God for completely compensating the Progressives with Yoruba Presidency.”
He therefore, observed that “if Tinubu’s Presidency is best atonement for the June 12 election spirit, allocation of Ministry of Information and Culture by Tinubu’s Presidency to Coalition of Pro – Democracy Groups for A Better Nigeria will be most appropriate.”
He explained that “We suddenly saw body languages of several support Groups and Politicians lobbying for inclusion in the Federal Government. We are June 12 Activists of Decades or Pro-Democracy Groups, that are different from various Support Groups that do spring up only during the electioneering Campaigns, and having worked for decades in seeing Mr President to Aso Rock Villa with massive Support base, if we don’t make our Group request open, Nigerians will think we have a secret deal with the Presidency and abandoned them halfway because they are enjoying our regular broadcast through our well organised Social media Platforms that no Group in Nigeria has ever thought of before now.”
Giving 17 reasons for their demand, Comrade Bamiji, who is equally the Executive President, Bola Ige Centre for Justice (2004 till date); Secretary, Beko Ransome-Kuti Memorial Committee (2008 till date); foremost June 12 Activist (for decades); President-General, Grand Council of Yoruba Youths (2001 till date); and Political Strategist to the Leadership of Afenifere (2001 till date), recounted the efforts of the groups in the struggle for the restoration of democracy during military rule as well as the post-military era, saying that “for complete three Decades running, we still remain the most organised Youths’/Civil Societies’ Platform with intimidating number of affiliate Organisations within and outside Nigeria. 
“Our long chain of successes accounted for the organisational structure and capacity of this promising Group.”
Chief Frank Kokori, a key member of the pro-democracy group in the June 12 struggle, expressed happiness that one of the comrades who participated in the struggle is now the President of the country.
Chief Kokori said many of them were arrested and locked up, but some escaped to foreign countries and continued the struggle there.
“I feel nostalgic that 30 years ago, Nigeria has been under the rulership of the Military, over 30 years of absolute tyrant and dictatorship. I feel happy more that in my twilight years, I have to witness for the first time since the advent of democracy in this country that a participant of that struggle of June 12 to free our country from the hands of military is now the President.
“I am happy today that at my age, I have seen a man, my dear comrade and a partner in that struggle, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who was in the trenches with us I remember when some of us were finally picked up and locked up.
“Some managed to escape the evil machinations of the Military, and they escaped into exile, and those were the soldiers internationally, Anthony Enahoro, Wole Soyinka, John Oyegun, they were so many, they were flying the flag abroad with so much deprivation”, Kokori said. 
The former President of Ijaw Youth Council, Asari Dokubo said when the June 1993 presidential election was cancelled, some of them wanted to go into arms struggle, but MKO Abiola was not ready for that.
“When finally it dawned on us that they were ready to kill him, and after he was arrested, we went to the trenches together with President Bola Tinubu, Pa Enahoro, Dan Suleiman, David Jang, Wole Soyinka, Ndubuisi Kalu and several others. 
“So, today, our joy is that one of us who made these sacrifices is now at the saddle and we want him to inaugurate MKO Abiola posthumously as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, he noted.
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